The Atlanta flight cuts by Southwest Airlines as it folds AirTran Airways operations into its own is not just affecting travelers — it’s also delaying the completion of the Atlanta airport’s master plan.
The master-plan effort began in 2011 when aviation consulting firm Ricondo & Associates was selected to complete the plan, a process originally expected to take 18 months. The completion date was delayed from 2013 to the first quarter of 2014. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport interim general manager Miguel Southwell said the plan will now be completed in June or July this year.
“We’re somewhat delayed on the master plan, primarily due to the changes made by Southwest” in its acquisition of AirTran, Southwell said.
The first step of the master plan was to forecast aviation demand for the next 20 years based on passenger numbers, takeoffs and landings and cargo.
Southwell said when the master-plan effort began, AirTran was operating more than 200 daily departures. When Southwest first acquired AirTran, it said it hoped to grow in Atlanta.
But now, Southwest is transforming AirTran’s connecting hub into a smaller operation, which Southwell expects will stabilize at about 150 to 160 daily departures.
That could influence plans for runways and gate facilities. The question of when a sixth runway will be needed has yet to be answered, Southwell said.
Passenger counts have been expected to grow over the long term, though Hartsfield-Jackson had a slight decrease in passenger counts in 2013. Hartsfield-Jackson has had a decline from more than 994,346 flights in 2007 to 911,074 in 2013, as Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines reduced flights by replacing smaller regional jets with larger planes that carry more passengers.
That contributes to “deferred demand” for more runway capacity, Southwell said.
